Hymn For The Shameless
by RequX
Summary: AU People could never understand him just as he could never understand them. 'This girl is always trying to be nice to me. I just don't understand why she would go through the trouble. She's so strange...but I think I'm starting to enjoy her company.' But will she be the one to help him? Or will his curiosity of a strange stone tablet consume him? KazumaxTrinity and other pairings.
1. Introductions

_**01: Introductions**_

"We're here." The driver parked across the street from a pair of open gates. Another man who was sitting in the front passenger's seat, opened the door and stepped out to see the scenery before him. Just passed the gates, a road with cherry blossom trees on each side lead to a tall, old looking building. The man walked over towards the back seat of the car and opened the door.

"How long are you going to sit there?" The man asked. Inside, sat a young man looking down at his knees while his whole body tensed up.

"...I don't want to go there."

"Now, now we've been through this. It's going to be just fine." The man reassured. Though there was a slight irritation in his tone. "Kazuma..." The young man looked up at him even though his bangs were covering his eyes. By the sound of the man's voice, Kazuma knew not to push his luck with him. The man always seemed so calm and collective, but there was always this strange, disturbing, and tense aura around him that always bothered the young man. It didn't help that he was always wearing that half-mask of his either which only made him more intimidating.

Reluctantly, Kazuma finally got out of the car with his belongings and looked at the area.

"I just don't understand why I have to continue my studies here. I was doing fine with only you teaching me."

"Yes, that is true. But books alone won't get you very far in life. You could be the smartest person in the world but it would all simply go to waste if you don't know how to blend in with society." The man started walking with Kazuma following.

"Please Relius, this is ridiculous. I can't believe you're actually making me do this..."

"Just think of this as another lesson from me. You'll get a good amount of data from this I promise you." He smirked even though Kazuma was still annoyed by the whole thing.

* * *

After meeting with the staff and getting through to the arrangements, Relius and Kazuma ended up in a room in the boys dormitory building. The room was small and didn't have much other than the necessities. A single bed was placed against the wall with a window next to the head of it followed by a desk which was in front of the window.

"You'll be staying here for the year." He looked over to Kazuma who was looking down to the floor. Even though Relius couldn't see much of his face, he knew the young man was quite upset about his situation. "I know you're upset, but you have to learn how to cope with people eventually. Once you know how to do that, then you're ready to be on your own."

"I can be on my own without them as well." The two remained silent for a bit until Relius turned around and headed for the door.

"I'll be expecting great results from you. And not just in your classes. I know you'll do fine in that. Until next time then." The masked man walked out leaving Kazuma alone in his room.

"...A whole year huh..." He sighed and brought his bag over to his bed.

* * *

After he unpacked, Kazuma sat at his desk and looked out the window. The school was placed on a mountain surrounded by trees and lush grass so the view was quite appealing to the eye. And the scent in the air wasn't so bad either.

"At least the area here is nice..." Kazuma closed his eyes for a bit enjoying the gentle breeze that came. But there was a strange sound that caught him off guard.

**Ring**

Kazuma looked ahead deeper into the forest. "This sound... Is it coming from there?" His curiosity got the better of him. But thankfully, he had the day off since he had just arrived on campus. So he decided to do a bit of exploring and figure out just where that sound was coming from.

He continued walking further deep into the forest hoping to hear that sound again. It had stopped once he got outside. But, he knew it was coming from here. He didn't know why he was so persistent, but he wanted to find out what that sound was. It was very strange to him. Almost as if it was calling him.

**Ring**

_'There it is again.'_ The sound came back. And from it, Kazuma was able to tell which direction it was coming from. He walked a bit more towards it until his foot got caught in a vine causing him to fall flat on his face. _'This is why I prefer to stay indoors...'_ He thought as he sighed in frustration. He pushed his body up from the ground only to come to a sudden pause as his eyes came into view of something very fascinating. Right in front of him was a stone tablet with a strange marking engraved on it. He reached his hand out and grabbed it before getting back on his feet. The marking was in the shape of an eight but in the middle showed what appeared to be the head of a snake biting it's own tail. "How interesting... I wonder if someone dropped it?" He looked around to see if there was anyone near. But there was no sign of anyone. "Well...I guess I'll hold onto this for a while. I don't think anyone will miss it. It looked like it was abandoned anyway." He took it upon himself to claim the tablet before he went back to the dorms.

* * *

Back in his room, Kazuma laid back on his bed examining the stone tablet in his hand. It probably wouldn't seem like much to others, but he was quite taken by it.

"Eternity... At least if I remember correctly, that's what this image means. A never-ending cycle of death and rebirth."

"Aren't you the smart one."  
"!?" Kazuma turned his head and saw a man sitting on the chair by his desk. His sudden appearance made him jump from his bed and move back against the wall. "W-Who are you!? When did you get in here!?"

"Relax. I'm not going to do anything to you. Not unless you piss me off that is..." He chuckled as he watched the young man tremble in fear. "Does that little piece of rock interest you that much?" His golden eyes peeped out from the hood covering his face and stared at the tablet Kazuma was still holding.

"It..." Kazuma hesitated to speak. "It did grab my attention... Y-You still haven't answered my question." He watched the man's golden eyes stare back at him. They were so menacing he couldn't help but feel like he was going to be killed if he so much as breathed the wrong way.

"Don't you know it's rude to ask for someone's name when you don't even introduce yourself first?" The atmosphere suddenly seemed more tense for Kazuma. The hooded figure just sighed in annoyance by the sight though. "Hey kid...I thought I said relax. You're starting to make **me** nervous."

"W-Well, what do you expect? You just suddenly appeared and you expect me to 'relax'?" Then a thought came to mind. "Oh, I get it... You must have sneaked in here while I was out. This must be some kind of traditional prank this school has for new students."

"...Huh?" The man was confused. Just what was this little twerp talking about? "Kid...I don't know what you're getting at but, I can assure you this isn't some kind of...'traditional prank'."

"And now you're going to try and make it seem like I'm crazy... You people might think this is all fun, but you're actually just being nothing but a real burden to me."

"..." Is this kid really stupid? The man wondered. "You know...I'm not even gonna try explaining this to you. I'll just let you figure it out I suppose." And within a blink of an eye, the man disappeared.

"W-What the...?" Did he really just vanish? Kazuma wasted no time getting off from his bed and quickly opened the door to his room. He looked outside to see if maybe he can see someone running or simply walking away from his door. But there was no one. The hallway was quite dead actually. He went back inside locking the door behind him and stood in shock for a moment. "What the heck just happened?"

* * *

"Alright everyone settle down." The classroom quickly got into their seats upon hearing the teacher's request. A long pink-haired woman walked towards her desk while following behind her, was a young man with green hair wearing the same uniform as the rest of them. The students were all whispering to each other upon seeing him. And Kazuma heard every bit of what they were saying.

"I'm guessing he's the new guy everyone was talking about."  
"Aww it's a dude?"  
"Yeah I'm disappointed too. This school has way too many sausages as it is..."

"I wonder if he's cute?"  
"You can't really see his face with all that green hair in the way." Kazuma couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed by them. _'Don't they care that I could hear them? They could at least have the decency to wait til I'm not around if they want to talk about me so badly...'_ He stood in front of the class waiting to be introduced.

"Before we get the day started, I'd like to introduce you all to a new student." The woman looked over to him signaling him to make his introduction.

"...H-Hello. I'm Kazuma Kuvaru." Silence. He looked over to the teacher and saw her yellow eyes still staring at him as if she wanted him to say more about himself. "Uh... N-Nice to meet...you?" He scratched the back of his head feeling rather uncomfortable. _'I don't like being in the spotlight...This is so stupid.'_ He thought to himself.

_'So he's the quiet type huh? I already know he's gonna have a hard time here...'_ The woman sighed. "Anyway... Let's all do our best to make him feel comfortable. Kazuma, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask any of the students here or myself."

"Right... Thank you Miss Konoe."

"Not a problem. Now... Where to place you..." She looked around the classroom to find an empty seat. Fortunately, there was one left. "Trinity." Responding to the name, a girl amongst the students quickly replied while adjusting her glasses.

"Yes?"

"That seat isn't taken is it?" The girl looked over to her right recalling if anyone was assigned there.

"Umm...I don't think so. If I remember correctly, he transferred out about a week ago."

"So then it's settled." She looked back at Kazuma. "You'll be assigned there starting today. Now go take your seat so we can begin the class." Kazuma went on ahead to his seat while hearing more whispers coming from the students in the classroom.

"He seems a bit awkward."

"You can't judge him just yet. He just got here you know."

"I don't think he's gonna last very long here."

"Yeah. He seems kind of fragile." They went on and on until he got to his desk and took his seat.

_'Just focus on the classwork. They're so annoying though...'_ He told himself.

"Hello." The girl with the glasses surprised him a bit. "I'm Trinity Glassfield." Kazuma just looked at her through his bangs. He didn't know what to say other than a simple "Hello". Which even that he had trouble saying.

"I can see you're a little shy aren't you." She smiled at him which made him feel uncomfortable.

_'This girl... Why does she seem so...'_ He looked away from her feeling at a loss for words. Trinity was able to sense the awkwardness coming from him so she decided to leave him alone for now and pay attention to the class.

* * *

Lunch hour finally came and all the students throughout the building scattered about doing their own thing. One of the girls in the classroom got up from her seat and stretched out her arms before walking over to Trinity.

"Today seems so long doesn't it? I thought lunch would never come."

"I guess it only feels that way for you. Since you're so eager to see _him_ after all." Trinity giggled catching the other girl off guard.

"H-Hey, not so loud!" The girl peaked over her shoulder to see their teacher gathering her paperwork from her desk. "You know how my sister feels about him. She doesn't like him at all."

"I'm sorry Celica. I was just teasing you." Trinity looked over to Kazuma who was also gathering his things. "Hey, would you like to spend the lunch break with us?" She asked hoping he would agree. Kazuma just looked over to her surprised by what she said. He wasn't the only one however as the girl named Celica looked at Trinity in surprise as well.

"I..." Again, he was at a loss for words. _'What should I do?'_ Truthfully, he wanted to get away from everyone and find someplace secluded from the rest of the students. But, remembering the whole reason why he's in this school in the first place, he knew he should probably take this chance to 'collect data' as Relius calls it.

Kazuma suddenly made eye contact with Celica. Even though he didn't know the girl personally, he already knew he wasn't going to like this girl at all. And from what he felt from her, he knew she didn't like him either.

"And what's going on over here?" Breaking the sudden tension in the atmosphere, Miss Konoe appeared wondering what was going on.

"Nothing much. I was just inviting Kazuma to join us for lunch."

"The new kid eh?"

"Will you be joining us as well?" Trinity asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I have to meet up with the rest of the staff for some meeting or whatever... I sometimes wonder why I became a teacher in the first place." She looked over to Kazuma who was looking away from the others.

"...I'm sorry but I don't think I feel like joining you today. Excuse me." He quickly walked away from the trio leaving Trinity slightly disappointed.

"What's up with him?" Konoe asked as she watched him leave the room.

"There's something...off about him."

"Celica?" Konoe turned her gaze back to the young girl wondering what she meant.

"He's just shy. I'm pretty sure he's a nice person once we get to know him." Out of the three, Trinity seemed to be the only one who was willing to give Kazuma the benefit of a doubt. Konoe didn't really care much either way but if Celica sensed there was something wrong, she wasn't going to doubt her. She was her younger sister after all. And from her experience, Celica's feelings about things were almost never wrong. _**Almost**_ being the key word. Because, no matter what Celica said about a certain man she was crushing on, Konoe could not stand him. Why is an older guy hanging around her little sister anyway? He had to be some kind of pervert. He _had_ to be. The thought of him was just making her blood boil so she decided to quit procrastinating and head over to the faculty office.

"I'll see you girls later."


	2. Siblings

_**02: Siblings**_

The day had finally come to an end and everyone was released from their classes and headed on back to their dorms or wherever else they wanted to go. Kazuma was one of the few who went back to the dorms. He was glad the day was over. Not only was the classwork so painfully easy for him, but the students were just so irritating. They were so many of them wanting to talk to him to 'get to know him' and the like. But all of them just seemed to rub him the wrong way. Thus, he didn't associate with anyone. And now, he was preparing himself for what they were going to say about him tomorrow. Not like it would bother him though.

He finally made it back to his room, avoiding all the stares the other boys would give him. It was bugging him though. He felt like he was being watched all day. So he quickly entered his room and shut the door behind him. A sense of relief washed over him as soon as he entered. Finally, he was alone.

"Welcome back." Or so he thought.

"Y-You again!" The hooded-man from yesterday appeared once again sitting in the chair while staring at Kazuma with his piercing golden eyes.

"Did you enjoy your first day of school?" Kazuma just looked at him while being wary of the strange figure. He was still trying to figure out who this person was and why he was appearing in his room. During the whole day at school, Kazuma was checking every student his eyes fell on to see if maybe one of them was this man. But, no one caught his attention. The way this man vanishes and appears though, it made Kazuma question his own sanity.

"I'm not going crazy am I?"

"Who knows. But, if you are, it wouldn't surprise me in the least. Avoiding everyone, and being all weird... No wonder you have no friends."

"You were watching me?" The thought of it disturbed him.

"Of course I was. I'm always with you...so long as you have that tablet." Kazuma quickly went in his pocket and took out the stone tablet he found yesterday and examined it.

"You're here...because of this?"

"That's right." Kazuma was even more intrigued by it then before.

"Are you, by any chance, some kind of spirit then?"

"Hmm...I guess I am...in a sense." To see if all this was really true or not, Kazuma walked closer to the man and reached his hand out to touch his shoulder. To his surprise, his hand went right through. But rather than being disturbed by it, Kazuma smiled in excitement.

"Amazing! This is simply amazing!" The hooded-man couldn't see his eyes, but he was sure they were similar to a small child's surrounded by mountains of toys.

"You think this is amazing?"  
"Why wouldn't I?" Kazuma stared at the stone tablet once again. "I didn't want to come to this school in the first place. But a discovery like this makes coming here not so bad. I wonder if there's anything else here?" The man couldn't help but feel somewhat amused. He thought the kid would be freaked out by all this. To his surprise, that wasn't the case.

"Interesting...I think I'm starting to like you."

* * *

The sun had set and lights illuminated the night sky. The city was busy as usual with the streets crowded with all kinds of people. Celica was among them as well walking while looking around her surroundings.

"I hope he's home..." She made a turn at the next corner and continued walking straight while examining the buildings she passed by. She eventually came to a stop when she saw a man with long spiky, blonde hair walking out of one of the buildings in front of her. "Ragna!" She yelled out grabbing the man's attention. He looked back to see who was calling him.

"Celica?" The young girl ran up to him. The man named Ragna, didn't seem too happy to see her though. "What are you doing here?"

"I just..." Celica paused for a moment examining his face. She couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by it. "I just wanted to see you."

"Well you're wasting your time." He began to walk away until she called out to him again.

"Wait!"

"What the hell do you want?" His tone became harsh and she was taken aback by it.

"What's going on with you? You've been acting strange for these past couple days."

"Nothing's going on..."

"Is it my sister then?"

"No... Your sister has nothing to do with it. But she is gonna start bitching to me again if she finds out you were here. And I really don't want to deal with her shit right now." The pink-haired teacher was indeed annoying when it came to the issue of Celica seeing him. Both Konoe and Ragna told the young girl to stop seeing him, but she didn't listen to neither of them. Ragna knew the girl liked him. And truth be told, he did enjoy her company. Maybe even liked her a bit as well. But, he knew Konoe worries much for her younger sister. And in her eyes, she didn't like the whole idea of a young seventeen year old high school girl, who was her sister, making visits to see a twenty-four year old guy such as himself. If it was just the age difference however, then maybe it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But to add more to the issue, Konoe knew all about him...and what he does. It's not like he was proud of what he was doing either, but his life never goes how he would like it to be. He had to do what he had to do.

"Then...why do you seem so distant?" Her brown eyes stared right into his green ones hoping he would open up to her. "I'm here for you... You do know that don't you?"

"...Yeah. I know." He looked at her one last time before he went on his way.

* * *

"Guess who's here to take you home?" A young girl sat on a bed in a hospital room looking out the window. She turned her head to see the nurse walking in along with Ragna who she was so desperately waiting to see.

"Big brother!" Her face lit up and she quickly jumped out of bed and into her brother's arms.

"Hey Saya. Sorry I'm late. I hope I didn't make you wait long." The young, long, blonde-haired girl just smiled.

"It's fine big brother. I'm just so happy I'll be able to go back home now." The nurse looked at the siblings hug for a bit with a smile on her face.

"I know you must be quite the lucky girl to have such a wonderful and dedicated brother like him." Ragna blushed a bit from the comment.

"Of course!" The young girl replied. "My brother is the best brother in the whole world! I plan on marrying him one day!"

"S-Saya! Don't say weird stuff like that!" Ragna felt a tad awkward to what she said. The nurse just let out a chuckle and started walking towards the door.

"Well, You two take care now. Especially you missy!" The nurse waved them a goodbye before leaving the room.

"Anyway, we should start heading home before it gets too late." Ragna grabbed her bag and took her hand in his and started heading out. He was glad his little sister was coming back home where she belonged. But he couldn't help but wonder how long will it be before she has to come back to this hospital once again. Saya was always such a fragile girl. He always worries about her. Each time she would get sick, it was another trip to the hospital. And she would stay there for weeks. She was only sixteen years old and she couldn't live out her youth to the fullest because she was so weak. She didn't have many friends either because of her sickness. So the only people she really had, was himself, and their other sibling Jin. But...

"Big brother?"

"What is it Saya?" The two stopped in front of an elevator with Ragna pressing the button to call it.

"Is...Is Jin home?" He had a feeling she would ask about him. But not because she wanted to see him.

"I don't know. He might have gotten home while I was on my way here." He saw her looking down at the floor replying with a simple 'Oh'. While Saya and Ragna's relationship with each other was very close, the same could not be said for her and Jin's. No matter how hard Ragna would try and bring the two closer together, it just wouldn't happen. Jin couldn't stand Saya. And so she would always be intimidated by his cold attitude towards her. Ragna knew Jin was just jealous of her though. Admittedly, Ragna would always give his attention to his younger sister first before anything else. Not to say he neglected Jin, but because she was the youngest, and the only sister he has, and the fact that she was so frail, Ragna couldn't help but spoil her as well as be protective of her. Perhaps a bit overprotective.

"Big brother...do you have to work tonight?"

"Unfortunately, I do." By the look on her face, Ragna knew she was disappointed.

"Oh, okay..." She didn't want to be left alone with Jin. Ragna was well aware of that.

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon." He smiled reassuring her. "You have to wake up early for school tomorrow anyway. So when we get home just get ready for bed. I promise I won't leave until you fall asleep." His warm and gentle smile made her worries disappear. Even if it was for just a brief time.

She was indeed a lucky girl. Ragna was her everything. And there was nothing in the world that could change her mind nor take his place in her eyes.

* * *

The young girl had finally fell asleep and Ragna got up and switched the light off. He opened the door and looked at his little sister once more before leaving and quietly shutting the door behind him. He walked into the living room and looked at the clock set on one of the end tables beside the couch.

10:31 P.M

"It's about time for me to go..." He went back to the direction he came from and went into his room which was a bit further down the hall from Saya's and Jin's respective rooms. He checked under his bed and grabbed a strange massive looking object wrapped in cloth being held together by belts. He placed the mysterious object on his bed to take out a red jacket from his closet. He got his arms through the sleeves putting on the jacket and took out a pair of black gloves and put those on as well. He grabbed the object from his bed and strapped it around his back before leaving his room and then started heading for the front door to his apartment.

"Going out?" Ragna turned and saw his brother Jin sitting on the couch with a book in hand.  
"Yeah. I'll be back later."

"You know brother, you're starting to become famous within the academy. I can't get by a single day now without hearing the name 'Bloodedge' being mentioned." He closed the book and adjusted his glasses while a smirk formed on his face. "I'm not sure if I should be proud or worried."

"Worried. I'm not sure why you would be proud of it." Jin let out a snort to his brother's response.

"Maybe a bit of both. Proud because this just simply means you're becoming one of the best in the field. Of course, I always knew you would." Ragna was feeling a bit annoyed. "But I am worried. After all, I am your brother. And I'm attending the Military Academy which is under the famous Novus Orbis Librarium, whose also starting to take notice of your actions." The atmosphere became heavy suddenly as the two brothers stared at each other.

"Do me a favor and wipe that smirk off your face." Ragna couldn't stand that amusing look Jin had. He was enjoying this a little too much. But Ragna did admit. This was all pretty ironic. "I'm off." He turned his back to Jin to open the door and then left.

"...I can't help it brother. This is just too amusing... But please, be careful."

* * *

**And there goes the first two chapters of this story. I'd appreciate some feedback if anyone can. I would like to keep going with this story, but if no one is interested then I'm just gonna discontinue it as I like to write for people more then myself (Unless it's my own story).**

**Anyway reviews are appreciated and let me know what you think of it so far. Thanks!**


	3. We're The Same

_**03: We're The Same**_

It was the early morning and lying on his bed, Kazuma could hear the students walking about in the halls going on there way to class.

"Another day."  
"Shouldn't you be getting up?" The strange spirit was watching Kazuma procrastinate. He introduced himself as Terumi. But, unfortunately for Kazuma, that was all he was willing to say about himself. "It is time for school after all."

"It's only fifteen minutes away from the classroom building." He sat up on his bed stretching his arms out while yawning.

"You just don't want to deal with any of those kids." The hooded-man disappeared as Kazuma got up and started to get ready for another day of school.

* * *

Once at his classroom, Kazuma took his seat and waited for the class to officially start. The other students were scattered throughout the classroom, talking to each other about different things. Kazuma couldn't help but overhear one of the conversations taking place.

"It's that new kid again."  
"I tried talking to him yesterday. He just kind of blew me off."

"Me too. He's kind of rude."

"He probably thinks he's top shit and all."

"I can't stand people like him"

Kazuma just sighed as he looked to the window over to his left.

_'There they go again speaking a whole bunch of nonsense.'_

"You want to go over there and tell them off?" At the sound of the voice, Kazuma quickly looked behind him and saw Terumi sitting there by the desk. His sudden appearance startled him, making him jolt up from his seat.

"W-What are you doing here!?"

"I thought we've been over this already? And you might want to settle down. You're drawing unwanted attention." Just as he said, Kazuma noticed how silent the class became and they were all watching him with confused eyes.

"What the heck is his problem?"

"Aww did a little bug scare you, new kid?" One of them teased causing some of them to laugh at him. Kazuma was a little puzzled by that sentence however.

_'A bug?'_ Then it dawned on him. _'No one can see him?_' It makes sense. Considering he is kind of like a ghost.

"Why are they laughing? Is that supposed to be funny or something?" Terumi looked at them confused. Kazuma decided to ignore him however until he was alone. So ignoring the rest of the class as well, he sat back down in his seat. But geez... They were talking about him a lot more now. It was very distracting.

"Hello." Kazuma looked up and saw that girl again standing in front of his desk. If he remembered correctly, her name was Trinity.

"...H-Hi." She smiled at him and then took her seat.

"Are you enjoying our school so far?" She asked, though she was immediately distracted by the other students being obnoxious about what just happened. Trinity didn't really know what they were talking about since she had walked in right after that little scene. But she knew they were talking about Kazuma and it bothered her.

"Alright kids, get in your seats." Miss Konoe walked in and the classroom quickly became silent with only the sound of the students getting back in their seats. Terumi saw one of them walking towards the desk he was sitting at.

"I guess I should give him his seat back." Just as he was about to sit down, the chair suddenly pulled back resulting with the kid falling hard onto the wooden floor. The rest of the class broke out into laughter and both Trinity and Kazuma looked behind them and saw him on the floor.

"Ooops! Sorry kid, didn't mean to do that. But, why am I apologizing? It's not like you can hear me." Terumi looked over to Kazuma grinning before he decided to disappear.

* * *

Classes were over for the day and instead of going back to the dorms, Kazuma decided to make a visit at the school's library. To his surprise, the school had a pretty massive collection. He went from aisle to aisle looking through the different genres; seeing what caught his interest.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." A familiar voice caught his attention. He peeked out from behind the bookshelf and saw Trinity along with that other girl. He remembered Trinity calling her Celica.

"I just hope he doesn't shut me out. I thought we were getting closer too..."

"I wonder how your sister will take it if she found out you and him were a couple?"

"I don't think I want her to find out if that happens..." The two girls continued to talk until Celica took notice of Kazuma who had quickly looked away from them.

"What's wrong?" Trinity asked.

"It's him...Kazuma." Trinity looked over to the bookshelf and decided to walk on over. "T-Trinity, let's just leave him alone. He doesn't want to be bothered by us anyway." Celica tried to get her friend's attention but to no avail, as Trinity looked behind the bookshelf and saw Kazuma with his face buried in a book.

"Hello again." Her cheerful voice made him nervous.

_'Why did she come here?'_ He glanced over at her and saw her covering her mouth with her hand with a tint of pink going across her cheeks.

"Oh my... I would have never guessed you were into that."

"Huh?" He noticed her eyes fixated on the cover of the book he had. He didn't really know what he grabbed actually. He just kind of grabbed the first thing that was available to him in hopes they wouldn't notice him. At least Trinity. But then, he realized a very...'erotic' picture on one of the pages. "W-Woah!" He quickly shut the book and took a look at the cover.

A Book Full of Pussies

And there was a picture of a cat right under the title. _'How clever...'_ He thought sarcastically. The book looked terrible as well. It was completely worn and kind of dirty... He immediately dropped the book deciding not to think about it any more than he needed to.

"A book full of pussies indeed." Terumi appeared by Kazuma's side taking amusement by his embarrassment. His face was completely red. "Geez kid... You act like you've never seen a _vagina_ before."

"I haven't!"

"I'm sorry?" He was too busy being embarrassed, Kazuma had forgotten Trinity was there.

"I-I wasn't... I mean...!" He couldn't get his words together.

"You're so lame." The hooded-figure just leaned back against the bookshelf and sighed. Trinity saw how red Kazuma's face became. She couldn't help but giggle at his predicament.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known about 'that' particular book anyway." She knelt down and grabbed the book, placing it back into one of the empty spaces in the shelf. Kazuma looked at her confused wondering what she meant by that sentence. "That book is kind of famous here. Everyone knows about it, but no one knows where it came from or whose it belongs too. It's kind of strange in a way I guess. But...you looked like you were...'reading' it."

"I-I didn't know it had stuff like 'that' in there!"

"Oh? Even after seeing the first page your eyes laid on? It seemed like you were quite absorbed in it to me." She smiled, teasing him a bit.

"I wasn't!"

"Relax kid." Terumi sighed again. "It's only porn. No need to get so flustered about it. Also, what kind of seventeen year old boy are you? You should be having sex right now, or jerking off to some porn. What happened to your hormones kid? I thought every teenager went through shit like that?"

"E-Excuse me!" Kazuma turned and quickly walked away from Trinity leaving her alone to wonder if she perhaps offended him some how.

* * *

"_Get away from me!" A man was frantically stumbling back eventually making it against the wall in a dark alleyway. Standing a few feet away from him stood the silhouette of a man. He couldn't make out his face because it was so dark. The only thing he did see was a glowing, red eye staring right at him. That was when the man realized who this figure was. "You. You're that infamous, Bloodedge aren't you?"_

"_Just give back what you stole. I'm not gonna say it again." His voice was intimidating but the man didn't listen. So instead, he took out a gun from his back pocket and aimed it right at the man called Bloodedge._

"_Look man, I don't have it! It's like what I told that snobby little bitch yesterday, I lost it! Now fuck off!" The man smiled with no sign of letting his gun go. "I can't believe this." He laughed. "You're that bitch's dog huh. Well, either way, I don't give a shit! But you know something, if I kill you here, I'll be well known. No one will ever think about fucking with me!" The man seemed pretty confident. In fact, he was probably already making plans about the fantastic future he seemed so sure of. Either that, or he was just talking out of his ass. Whatever the case, Bloodedge was here for one thing. And this man didn't have it. Unless he was just wasting his time. "Anyway, no hard feelings. But there's still things I need to do. I can't afford to die here just yet!" The second the man pulled the trigger, the silhouette figure immediately dodged the bullet and rushed towards the man. "What the fu-" Before he could finish, a jolt of pain went through his whole body and he soon dropped his gun. The man's eyes widened in shock as he looked down to see the arm of Bloodedge plunged deep within his chest feeling his hand clenching at his heart. The blood that was seeping out was somehow traveling up his killer's arm all the way up to the side of his face and going into his red eye. He didn't know what was going on or how to describe it. "D...Demon... You're a...!" _

"_Sorry, but there's things I still need to do as well... No hard feelings." The man tried to say something else, despite it getting harder to speak. But at that moment, Bloodedge tightened his grip around the man's heart, squeezing it until it seemed to 'pop' in his hand, instantly killing him. He pulled his hand out, dropping the body of the man who was breathing just a second ago. Any remaining blood that was on his arm was quickly absorbed by his glowing red eye. "Ugh... I can never get used to this feeling."_

* * *

"Big brother?"

"...?" Saya called out to her older brother, who was apparently daydreaming.

"You weren't listening to me at all were you?" She asked pouting. The two were sitting in a small ice cream shop with Saya having a tall banana split sundae.

"I'm sorry Saya. I just...have a lot on my mind that's all."

"Is your job giving you a hard time?" She asked. She was completely oblivious to what her brother Ragna really did at his job. There's no way he was going to tell her that. He didn't want anyone to know. Jin as well as Konoe knew what he really did but they kind of found out by chance. Unfortunately for Ragna.

"I guess you could say that. One of our guys lost something important to our boss so I had to...fire him."

"That must have been hard for you."

"I guess. My boss can be a real pain. And she's always ordering me around, and giving me messed up jobs like that. So it had to be done. ...I think I'm getting used to firing people now."

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about being one of them." She smiled. "From the sounds of it, I think your boss trusts you. She's always ordering you around because she knows you'll get the job done. It just means you're very good at what you do." She smiled innocently while Ragna couldn't help but feel a bit bothered by what she said. It wasn't her fault though. She didn't know any better.

"Anyway, hurry up and finish that so we can get out of here." He smiled at her, putting his real feelings aside for the time being. "I still have to make dinner you know. You shouldn't even be eating that right now."

"But you said you would treat me after school today. And I've been wanting this during the whole time I was in the hospital."

"I know. Just make sure you eat your dinner too. Even if it is just a little bit."

"Hey, big brother?" Oh no. He thought. He already knew what she was going to ask.

"Y-yes Saya?"

"Do you think...I can try making dinner tonight?" A heavy silence filled the air as she stared at him with her innocent, big green eyes. The question was harmless. She just wanted her brother's permission to cook for their little family. But...Ragna knew better.

"..."

"..."

"..." Ragna reached his hand out and gently pat his sister's head. "...You're so cute."

"You're dodging my question again!"

* * *

The night time had come and Kazuma had just finished up his studies. His stomach started growling, reminding him to eat something.

"I wonder what I should make?" He remembered the dorm having it's own kitchen stationed in the first floor. But, when he looked at the time and saw that it was only going on 7P.M., he decided to get something later. He had a feeling some of the boys were down there already. And, well, he just didn't feel like being bothered by them at the moment...or ever.

"Let me guess." Terumi was sitting on the bed. "You're going to starve yourself just because those little shits are in the kitchen?"

"I'm not starving myself. I'm going to eat. Just...not right now."

"Again, because there's shit in the kitchen. I guess I'd be pretty offended too." He snickered. "But, you're human too aren't you? What's so wrong about getting something to eat?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. I just don't want to be bothered by them. The minute I show up, they immediately start talking. I can't stand it..."

"So let them talk. Who cares about them anyway? You're hungry right? So go and get something." Rather than listening to him, Kazuma ignored him and started to examine the tablet once again. He stared at the strange design mesmerized by the drawing. There was something about it that fascinated him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but...there was something weird about it. Other than bringing a strange ghost with it that is.

"Why won't you tell me more about this?" Kazuma asked.

"Because there's nothing more to say."

"You're lying aren't you?" He was curious. At this, Terumi's face formed a big smile.

"Oh, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's lies." A menacing aura slowly started creeping up at Kazuma. His body tensed up to the sudden pressure he was feeling. "And besides, I can't tell you anything more about that tablet or myself even if I wanted to."

"Why is that?"

"It's because I don't know anything about myself or that piece of stone." At that sentence, Kazuma couldn't help but think about himself. That was when he came to a conclusion.

"You're...just like me."

"What do you mean?"

"You have amnesia." The two stared at each other for a bit as they realized the one thing they both had in common.

"So...I guess we're the same. At least in that aspect. You don't know anything about yourself either."

"Just of the things Relius told me."

"And that is?" Terumi was curious.

"He said he found me in a hospital in the intensive care unit. Apparently, I was in a really bad car accident. That was three years ago. I can't really remember anything from that day. Everything was so hazy. And from all the drugs they had me on, I could barely make out what he was saying either."

"What about your parents?"

"They died in the accident. I don't even know what they look like."

"I guess this Relius person has been like a father-figure to you for these past three years." Kazuma just looked out the window as he thought of the man, Relius Clover.

"I guess, one would think that. But, to be honest, I never once saw him like a father."

"So you hate him?"

"No, I don't hate him. I do respect him in a way. The man is very intelligent. And a lot of the things he'd say or do always seem to make sense to me. But...I couldn't help but feel this sense of uneasiness around him. It felt like he was always hiding something. ...Something very terrible." The two kept silent for a bit while Terumi thought about Kazuma.

_'So that's why he's so awkward with everyone...'_ Kazuma looked back at the clock once again and saw it was a little bit passed 7 o' clock.

"Maybe I should try checking if anyone's there." He decided to make a trip to the kitchen downstairs. When he got up from his chair, a sudden sharp pain appeared on his index finger, taking him by surprise and making him drop the tablet onto the ground. As Kazuma started checking his finger, a drop of his blood fell onto the tablet and Terumi saw it glow for just a brief second before the blood drop vanished. Terumi smiled once again before he too vanished as well. Kazuma looked around wondering if he was still here.

"I guess he disappeared again."

* * *

**I'm so glad this story got some attention. I was really thinking about what to do with this story and I got a few ideas for it. So I'm glad I was able to get some feedback for it to make me keep going. You have no idea how happy I was *_***

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Reviews are quite lovely~**


	4. Friends

_**04: Friends**_

A few days had passed since Kazuma started attending this school. And since then, he hasn't been able to adapt here very well. He thought things would have settled down once all the gossiping about him was done. To his luck, he was wrong. Soon after he became the talk of the school, the students started to pick on him and call him names and such. Coming to his classes was now becoming a chore and sitting in the same room where all those people were, made the atmosphere that much more uncomfortable. The only person he had really was Terumi... And he was a ghost. Of course, there was his classmate, Trinity. She was perhaps, the only one in the entire school who was willing to talk to him. But, because of that, Kazuma wasn't sure how to deal with her. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't quite used to someone approaching him, but there was something about her that he couldn't quite 'get'. She always seemed so kind to him, And she always seemed nice to her friends as well. The girl had a gentle aura around her that made him feel...strange. It was something he never quite felt before.

Thinking about her, he decided to sneak a glance at her while they were busy with their classwork. She seemed focused and hard-working. She felt her glasses slowly going down the bridge of her nose and then pushed them back up before continuing her work. Not realizing Kazuma was looking at her all the while. He never realized it until now but, she was actually pretty cute.

_'Cute...?'_ He never said anything like that before. Let alone thought someone was cute. _'Did I really just think that?'_ The word seemed alien to him.

"Are you actually checking a girl out?" The sound of Terumi's voice made Kazuma quickly look away from her while his face slightly turned red from embarrassment. "I guess she is kind of cute. But, personally, I find her a bit annoying." The bell suddenly rang and it was time for lunch. Once again, the students scattered about. Kazuma gathered his things before getting up from his seat and started to head out too. But, just as he walked away from his desk, one of the students sitting further up front stuck his foot out causing Kazuma to trip over it and fall face first to the floor. Everyone started to laugh with the exception of Trinity, Celica and Konoe who were not too pleased with what just happened.

"Are you okay?" Trinity went over to Kazuma and reached her hand out to him. Kazuma just looked at her hand for a bit before getting up on his own, refusing her help.

"I can take care of myself..." He immediately walked away from her and then out of the classroom feeling nothing but annoyance. Konoe watched him as he went before letting out a sigh.

_'I had a feeling things would turn out like this...'_

* * *

Everything was quiet. That was what Kazuma liked about the library. That, and the fact that it was quite huge. He could hide himself here to indulge in all the books that surrounded him and no one would ever bother him. He didn't have to worry about people talking about him or bullying him. It was his own little getaway from all that.

"Hiding back here again eh?" Terumi watched Kazuma looking through the books remaining silent the whole time. "I guess they really put you in a bad mood today. You don't seem as calm as you usually do."

"No one put me in a bad mood. I'm perfectly fine." Terumi snickered at Kazuma's response.

"Are you sure you're as fine as you say?" Kazuma felt a bit confused by his words. Just what did he mean by that? Of course he was fine.

"Look, I said I'm fine so...can we just drop it?" Silence filled the air until Terumi spoke once again.

"You're lying..." Kazuma turned to look at Terumi but saw he had disappeared again.

_'What's his problem?'_

"There you are." A soft and gentle voice startled him and Kazuma looked to his side to see none other then Trinity walking towards him before coming to a stop.

"Trinity?"

"I had a feeling you were here." She smiled and Kazuma soon looked away feeling his face getting a bit red. But, why was he blushing in the first place?

"W-What do you want?"

"I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing." Check on him? He felt a bit puzzled by her words.

"...Why?" He asked curiously.

"Well, you've seemed to be having a hard time here ever since you started so...I thought maybe you could use a friend." Did he hear that right? She wanted to be his friend? Kazuma couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised by it. But, at the same time, he felt a strange sense of relief. As if he'd been waiting for a long time for someone to finally acknowledge him.

"...I-I see." But, it still didn't help the fact that he was still feeling somewhat awkward about it. "I'm sorry... I'm not...really used to these sorts of things so..." His voice trailed off and his whole body started tensing up. He didn't know what he should do and Trinity took notice of his behavior and let out a few giggles. Kazuma looked at her wondering why she was laughing.

"I'm sorry. I just can't help it." He started to wonder if she was perhaps making fun of him in some way. But, it turned out, that wasn't the case at all. "Please don't misunderstand. I'm not teasing you or anything like that. I just can't help but notice your reaction to some things. I think it's cute."

"Cute...?" there goes that word again. Only this time, someone else was saying it about him which made his face become red once again. _'She thinks I'm cute?'_ That just confirmed his suspicions about her. She was truly weird.  
The school's bell sounded, interrupting the moment between the two classmates. Lunch was over and it was time to go on to their afternoon classes.

"Would you like to walk with me to class?" She asked with her warm smile. Kazuma wasn't sure if he should though. But, they did have the same classes together. If they're going the same way, then he might as well walk with her. And, well, she didn't seem like a bad person, so associating with her shouldn't be too bad. After debating for a bit, he agreed to go with her even though, he did stutter a bit before he finally got his words together to say 'yes'.

* * *

The day was dragging. This is what he hated the most when he wasn't busy with anything else. Being alone in his apartment with absolutely _nothing_ to do. Boredom was his greatest enemy. At least, for the moment it was. It won't be another while before Saya got out of school. And it won't be til much later for Jin. Hopefully, to make the time go by faster, Ragna lounged about on his couch and turned on his television. It had been a while since he watched anything on it. Mostly because there was never anything on. Perhaps today, he might be lucky.

_"Enjoy steakhouse, quality beef at Tom's long, thick-"_

-CLICK-

_"-KAPOOYAH, KAPOOYAH!"_

-CLICK-

_"Me mentiste pero... Por que? POR QUE MARIA!?"_

_"Siempre he sido honesta contigo Enrique!"_

-CLICK-

_"Good weed, bad bitch_

_Got these hoes on my-"_

-CLICK-

At this point, Ragna decided to give up on T.V. So he turned it off. Shame on him for thinking there might have been something good on.

"Goddammit..." He sighed and then closed his eyes. "Maybe I should just sleep the day away..." The idea was tempting. And frankly, he wasn't doing anything today. But, a sudden smell caught his attention. It was an overwhelming scent of roses. And at this, Ragna sighed once again. This time, in annoyance.

"Rabbit..." He looked over to his window and saw a young lolita looking girl standing there with a smirk going across her face.

"So this is what the infamous Bloodedge does on his free time. Lazing about all day without a care in the world; browsing through idiocy on what you people like to call 'entertainment'. Indeed Ragna. You are truly a pathetic man." There she goes again, giving him shit.

"What are you doing in my apartment anyway? I don't remember ever asking you to pay me a visit."

"Oh, I would hardly call this a home. But alas, even this place is too good for a man such as yourself." What the hell? Did she really come all the way here just to insult him?

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" The small petite girl just giggled in a playful tune. Clearly, she enjoyed harassing him. But there were more important matters that needed attention.

"Enough of that. I have yet another task for you."

"Another job huh... I wonder who's the poor guy this time."

"Oh, I'm afraid you're mistaken. I do not require Bloodedge for this mission. Only Ragna will do." He looked at her confused.

"What are you talking about? What kind of mission is it?"

"Why, it's just a simple investigation. That pathetic little spec of a man you took care of last time, I've received word that the item he stole may have been dropped not too far from it's original location. I need you to go to a school located just outside of town and see if you can find it."

"A school outside of town? Are you talking about Ayatsuki Academy?"

"Yes." Ayatsuki Academy. It was a very prestigious school and very hard to get into. At least, that's what Celica told him. Celica and her sister Konoe were the only people he knew that were attending the school. Konoe is a teacher, but she did attend as a student before up until her graduation. He also knew both sisters were the offspring of the original founder of the school, Shuichiro Ayatsuki.

"Wait a second Rabbit. If it's just investigating then why not have your old, man-servant, guy do it? These sorts of things aren't exactly up my alley."

"I'm quite aware of your skills and what you are capable of. After all, I'm the one who made you into such a being. But, nevertheless, I need you in particular to do this because you're the only one who can."

"The only one?"

"A seal was placed around that school forbidding myself as well as Valkenhayn entry. It blocks out anyone who isn't human in other words. Which is where you come in my dear Ragna."

"Heh... I'm not exactly human myself. I'm not really sure what the hell I am anymore..."

"Maybe not fully, but it's enough for you to take on this task. But, do heed my warning Ragna. Do not stay there any longer than you have to. I cannot guarantee the seal will not notice you if you prolong your visit." For a moment, Ragna could have sworn he saw a look of worry on her face.

"What happens if it does notice me?"

"That I do not know. Maybe it will poison you, killing you off slowly. Maybe you will spontaneously combust. Or perhaps you will simply go...'poof'. Never to be heard from again. Such a tragic tale of the short existence known as Ragna the Bloodedge." He takes it back. She wasn't worried about him at all.

"You know, I think it's about time you left."

"Indeed." A strange portal appeared behind the young girl with an overwhelming scent of roses pouring out. "I want this job done post-haste. As always, I expect great results from you, my dear Ragna." And with that, she entered the portal and vanished before him.

"Rachel..." He looked over to where she just stood only seconds ago. "I should have asked her more about that stone she wants me to find so badly."


End file.
